Gale's experiments with pony art.

[GaleFenrir]

Hey there guys!

I figured I would try drawing some ponies!

I am very new to digital art, so I figured this would be a nice excuse to practice.

I also have very little experience drawing ponies, so my proportions and such may not be wholly refined.

So, my first piece is of my OC/Ponysona/RP character,

here is the steps for how I made it:

1.I sketched it out in SketchBook Express.

2.I imported that image to InkScape

3.I traced the lines with the pen tool.

4. I made some minor changes to the lines.

5. I filled in the boundaries with the fill bucket tool in InkScape.

I am not quite sure how I feel about this. So, if any one more experienced could provide feedback/advice, it would be much appreciated.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

I don't draw art, but I do look at it. The body seems good, although the wings are not show style. That could just be your art style, which is fine. The ears look a little big, but maybe that's just me. The main problem I see is with the face... It's just a bit wonky.

I think the problem is that there is no 'head bump'... the nose should stick out, yes, but it should curve in slightly before the head rises like a hill and forms a circular shape. The nose/face/head would probably look better if the nose was half that size, and if it conformed to a more normal shape. The ears look a little big, but maybe you meant them that way, or maybe it's just me.

[Rosewind]

You've got the general shape down, just keep on practicing. I suggest you keep a reference of shapes and use that as a basis -- for example, the body is pretty much two circles that follow a bit of a jelly bean shape. Remember that less is more, especially with pony.

[ToxicPenguin]

I feel like there are a lot of straight lines and sharp points in this drawing. (Not that it's a bad thing!) Curved lines will probably give it a smoother look, and they won't jump out at you when you look at it. Of course keep some lines straight, but just try to tone down on them, for example, the wings/tail.

Other than that, it's a great drawing

[GaleFenrir]

Ok, here is my second experiment!

This isn't of a character, just a blank pony body.

This time I used only Inkscape, no sketch before hand.

Also, This time I created the shapes by modifying squares and ellipses, instead of using the pen tool for everything

EDIT:

ALso, now here are some updates!

I took the vector lines from my 1st piece, modified the nose a bit, got rid of the color that was there, then colored it in Paint.net

The 2nd piece I simply modeified some of the line in Paint.net

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Definitely showing some improvement. I hope you keep at it and keep practicing. I know I got a lot better after I started having to cutout photos using vectors at work. After enough repetitions, it gets a lot easier.

[Littlefly222]

You've got the general shape down, just keep on practicing. I suggest you keep a reference of shapes and use that as a basis -- for example, the body is pretty much two circles that follow a bit of a jelly bean shape. Remember that less is more, especially with pony.

first off great improvement, ya having a reference always helps. When ever I start a pony drawing, sketching out shapes for everything and then drawing in the body, that always helped me, but I do digital art not vectors. So unless a vector is what your going for , personally I'd say stick to the pen tool, but do you have a tablet ? (it makes it a tad easier when you digitally drawing it) But any way my reasoning behind that is that to me it always gives the pony's overall look a more natural flow. But don't ever feel discouraged, practice makes perfect, so remember you can never draw too many ponies till you get the shape your looking for.